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Ian White knows it’s a bad year to be under six-feet tall and a returning defenceman on the Maple Leafs.

The “change in culture” that general manager Brian Burke has championed all summer with trades and signings of many big men means a player such as the 5-10 White could be squeezed out of the blueline picture entirely.

There are eight to nine Leafs trying out for blueline spots at present and perhaps as few as three jobs between five experienced hands.

“Something has to give,” White said yesterday after a second day of training camp at the MasterCard Centre. “I don’t know if it will be me or who or what, but if you do the math, something has to happen.

“No one knows what, but sometimes you have to call a spade a spade. I’m sure there will be a few changes around here in the next few weeks.”

White and other defencemen were marginalized when Burke brought in Francois Beauchemin, Mike Komisarek and Garnet Exelby. When coach Ron Wilson indicated this week that he thinks Beauchemin, Komisarek, Tomas Kaberle and Luke Schenn will be his top four, that put all other survivors — White, Jeff Finger, Mike Van Ryn and Phil Oreskovic — on alert.

Exelby is a scrapper who should be at least the seventh defenceman and if that’s the total number Wilson carries into the season, then White’s definitely in trouble.

The fallout could see him as part of a trade package, perhaps for Phil Kessel. The Leafs are anxious to conclude the protracted talks for the Boston Bruins winger with one or more first-round picks and extra defencemen as the bait, or try to land Kessel as a restricted free agent.

Burke continues to probe middle ground with the Bruins to acquire Kessel for a package of draft picks. The Boston Globe echoed reports of the past few days that the Leafs are dangling two first round picks and a second-rounder and would want at least a third-rounder coming back, but despite his salary cap crunch, GM Peter Chiarelli might also take a player from the Leafs.

Burke played down speculation that the Leafs are trying to force Boston’s hand by insisting a deal gets done in a couple of days, before they go the offer sheet route. Boston could match such a Leafs’ offer, but would then need to move other players to get under the cap to accommodate Kessel. A trade would net a better return for Boston.

To get his own house in order, Burke also said he will demote some players to the Marlies if they didn’t play to potential at camp, but that’s rarely been an issue with White.

He beat the odds to stay with the Leafs last season, making the team as a right winger. He won the club’s Bill Masterton Trophy nomination for his perseverance.

“Unfortunately, Whitey’s in that group,” Wilson said of the limbo Leafs. “When you have eight or nine NHL defenceman, they get to a point where they say: ‘Do I have to prove myself again’? But there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s the way it should be.”

Finger, signed to a four-year, $14-million US contract by the previous regime, also is looking over his shoulder.

“The competition should bring out the best in us,” he said. “If it doesn’t, I won’t be playing much.”